Many of the students at Columbia GS are veterans. So a large portion will be the same age range as you. I agree with the others that its never too old to go back for a college degree. Sounds like you will be successful either way. Best of luck!
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I don’t think anyone is saying he can’t go to college, but I’ve found there are differences between 18 year olds and 22+. My kids are 20, 20, 22, 25 and 26, and the youngest are now being “accepted” by their older siblings and their friends as peers. Dd22 who graduated college is ow one of the “bigs.” Many parents of freshmen and younger transfers would prefer them dorming with students the same age. There is definitely a different maturity factor.
In this case it’s clear OP wants to be the fun 18 year old student and not the serious one who goes to Symposias or plays in a symphony. etc. You’re not wrong in general but I believe in this case @momsearcheng is accurate and the descriptions you are giving is for a sophisticated college student but not the average one.
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Yep, not everyone is interested in Royal Ballet, Pulitzer winners, or political movements. OP is interested in Greek life and living with young students in regular dorm… OP is afraid to miss 18 years old experience. It is already missed. There is nothing can be done about it.
Kudos for building a successful business at such a young age.
No, your age will not work against you when applying to schools. As others have noted, your success building a business would be a “hook” that sets you apart from other applicants with similar academic credentials.
Are you planning to go to school full time, or at night? How engaged are you with your business, and would you be able to give it the necessary attention while you are at college, especially if it is far from the business?
I understand your concern about relating to 18 year old classmates who do not have the same experience. When I attended grad school after working for six years, there were some 22 year old students who came straight from undergrad and at times it seemed like they were from a different world. The good news is that there will likely be some people with similar backgrounds in your class, and you can socialize with grad students who have real world experience.
You already missed most of that. I think it could be a great idea to go back to college, but I do not think you will be able to have a traditional college experience because a LOT of the traditional college experience is worrying about what kind of job you’re going to get when you graduate in addition to some partying, remembering high school, being away from your parents for the first time, etc. If you are currently living with your mom and dad getting away from them might be a commonality, but otherwise I think you’ve just chosen a different path and you are going to have a different experience.
I would encourage everyone who wants to go to college to go, but I think you’ve missed the boat on the traditional undergrad experience. That’s not to say that you can’t have a great experience and make friends, etc, but a big part of college is being away from home for the first time, complaining about the crappy dorms, complaining about the crappy food, meeting new 18 year olds who are also away from home for the first time and giddy with that and also apprehensive.
I would encourage you to live off campus in a student-y apartment complex (I cannot imagine going back to live in a dorm again), and go and get involved in classes and other interests you may have, but the traditional undergrad experience ship has sailed for you. If you adjust your expectations you can still have a great experience, though.
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You appear to be focused on Ivy League schools. If you are interested in business, there are many schools in the US that are of comparable quality in that field (MIT, UofM, CMU, NYU, etc.).
Also, you should consider the focus of schools and where their networks are. Some schools are strong in finance, others in operations, and some are known for marketing. Where do you want to be after you finish your undergrad?
If you are seeking the “undergrad experience” you may want to consider some state universities with strong sports teams and school spirit (UofM, USC, TX Austin, etc.).
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Yeah, I’m here for the college experience
My passion is in building businesses and I don’t really need a degree for that
Then focus on larger schools that are strong academically, have good alumni networks and rabid sports fans… think Notre Dame, UofM, Texas Austin, etc.
Agree, maybe Penn State, Alabama.
And Clemson.
I’ll plug Penn State. My nephew went to their undergrad business school, loved it, and has been very successful.
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The advantage of not going to college is that your kids can apply to college as first gen :-).
You should go to college. This is for you. Not for someone else. It is (can be) luxury consumption. Especially if you don’t need it. I used to ask my kid what he’d do if he didn’t need the degree to make money. The answers would be different in terms of different major in that case, but not just skipping college.
Even Emma Watson came to Brown to study after she was successful. That education wasn’t going to get her a job.
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